The present disclosure is related to gaming systems, and, more particularly, to gaming systems for facilitating tournament games.
Various tournament gaming techniques have been previously described. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,486 issued to Walker et al., describes a distributed electronic tournament system that allows remotely located players to be identified via a player tracking system, and allows the identified players to participate in tournaments such as chess, bridge, computer golf games, poker and the like from their homes. In addition to player tracking, a database, maintained at a central location, enables registration of players, acceptance of entry fees, and coordination of prize money.
Another patent directed toward online tournament games, U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,648, issued to Guinn et al., describes an apparatus and method for an automated tournament gaming system utilizing a computer network coupled to a number of gaming machines. The Guinn patent also provides for a multi-site progressive automated tournament. The automation is provided by a central server computer coupled to a tournament schedule computer.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,287,202, issued to Pascal et al., describes a gaming system that includes a plurality of gaming terminals connected together and to a master gaming terminal to form a network. People may participate in a tournament by signing up and playing at the gaming terminals. In one specific example, if a predetermined number of people at the gaming terminals have signed up for a tournament, a tournament game is started at an announced time. If, at the announced time, the number of people who have signed up is less than the predetermined number, a number of real or virtual gaming terminals may be designated to run in an automatic play mode in order to meet the predetermined number. If an automatic terminal wins the tournament, the winnings are retained by the house.